


First Time Buying Flowers

by stellarparallax



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 00:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10819593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarparallax/pseuds/stellarparallax
Summary: It had been two weeks since I last saw Maes. I assumed that he finally bought enough flowers for his mother and hadn't found the need to come back to visit the store. I couldn't say that I wasn't even a little bit disappointed. I was just starting to get used to seeing him every morning shortly after I opened the till for the day. After the first week of being a ball of nervousness and excitement, he calmed down and started talking to me like all my other customers did. I secretly hated that he was starting to feel comfortable around me because I thought he was so endearing before. He had come in every day for an entire month -- which made me wonder how old he really was. It wasn't possible that someone who looked as young as he did to be older than twenty-five. I started to consider the possibility that he wasn't human.(How Gracia and Maes met and got together from Gracia's POV)





	First Time Buying Flowers

I was tying on my apron when I heard the doorknob creak and the door swing about its hinge. My first customer of the day had arrived.

"Good morning! It's my first time buying flowers and it would be great if I could get some... some er..."

"Ah, I'd be happy to help you!" I spin around as I said. Flashing my best smile, I asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Ah... uhm... Flowers," his eyes were wide and he looked like he was shaking like a leaf.

Sometimes we got customers like that -- all jumpy and nervous from buying flowers for a significant other. A lot of the time, it wasn't the visit to the florist that they were fazed by. It was the idea of arriving at the point of a serious relationship where buying flowers would be expected. It was a florist's job to help them make the right decisions so that their relationship could blossom into something precious. It was actually one of the reasons why I chose to be a florist. 

Well, it wasn't like I really had a choice in the matter. My parents owned a flower shop and they were short on staff, especially around the special occasions like Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. I like to think that I would have chosen to be a florist regardless but I'm honestly not entirely sure.

"Who are you buying flowers for?"

His ears turned scarlet and he stuttered as he said, "My mother."

"Alright, what flowers does she like?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you know her favourite colour?"

"Ah, red."

"We usually recommend roses since they are so popular, but I get the feeling you would have told me that sooner if you thought roses would be the way to go. Tell me, what is your mother like?" 

He bit his lower lip as he turned away from me. 

"She's a wonderful person, but not in an obvious way. Like, she's nice to everyone around her but she doesn't show the extent of her love until you become someone truly important to her. She's a little reserved, has an understated elegance to her..."

"She seems lovely," I blurted out before thinking, "I think lilies would suit her."

"I would agree, but I really don't know," he finally cracked a smile.

I led him to the corner of the store where the refrigerator with the lilies were. His eyes widened with awe when he saw them and started nodding profusely. He glanced at the price tag that was hanging from the mouth of the vase. His eyes darted around for a second and I imagined that he was deciding whether to go with an individual flower or a bouquet. 

"Bouquet," he said resolutely. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, he walks into the store at around the same time. 

"My mother really liked the flowers. She asked me if she could buy her more to make up for the years that I didn't get her anything for her birthday."

I raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn't every day that a customer returned to the store two days in a row, especially when purchasing for the same person. His eyes were steady and his posture was relaxed, but he sounded like he was reciting from a script that had been written and rewritten so that not a single word gave the impression of meaning anything that he didn't intend it to mean.

"Would you like more red lilies?" 

He froze for a moment before answering in the same mechanical tone that he had before, "No, she would prefer to receive a different type of flower. She has asked for them to be blue, this time."

I went behind the counter to lift up and show him the vase of flowers that I had just finished cutting the stems of. 

"These are hydrangeas. They are very popular among our customers. They're also my favourite."

Well, I guess that was only half a lie. I liked all of the flowers sold in the shop equally. 

"Ah, I would like a bouquet of them, then!"

 

* * *

 

 

The day after, I saw him before he even said a word.

"Just out of curiosity, how many birthdays of your mother's have you missed?"

A blush formed in his cheeks and started creeping out until his whole face was a completely different colour from his neck. 

I realised that I hadn't really gotten a good look at him before. His dark hair was combed back, all except for a thin lock of hair that curled forward. He wore rectangular glasses that I decided complimented his angular face perfectly. He was tall, much taller than I was. His shoulders were broad -- perhaps an athlete? His knuckles were slightly bruised so I immediately assumed that he was a professional boxer. He probably hadn't been sending his mother gifts because he's had to travel around the world for boxing tournaments. 

"Ah, I'm sorry that I keep bothering you...," he mumbled, only loud enough that I could barely hear him.

"I didn't mean it that way. What's your name?"

"Maes."

"Hello, Maes. I'm Gracia. What colour has your mother requested for today?"

"Pink."

 

* * *

 

 

It had been two weeks since I last saw Maes. I assumed that he finally bought enough flowers for his mother and hadn't found the need to come back to visit the store. I couldn't say that I wasn't even a little bit disappointed. I was just starting to get used to seeing him every morning shortly after I opened the till for the day. After the first week of being a ball of nervousness and excitement, he calmed down and started talking to me like all my other customers did. I secretly hated that he was starting to feel comfortable around me because I thought he was so endearing before. He had come in every day for an entire month -- which made me wonder how old he really was. It wasn't possible that someone who looked as young as he did to be older than twenty-five. I started to consider the possibility that he wasn't human.

It was closing time soon, and he still hadn't shown up.

I was placing one of the vases of flowers that I had just finished cutting into the refrigerator when I heard the door swing open. I almost dropped the vase out of excitement. I rushed to the front of the house to greet who I expected to be Maes. I tried not to let my disappointment show when it turned out to be someone else.

"Good evening, miss. I would like a dozen tulips, please," his voice was gentle but it had an authoritative tinge to it.

I hesitated before rushing to fulfill his request. He was slightly shorter, had a fringe and didn't wear glasses, but he had a similar built to Maes. I refrained from asking him if he knew who Maes was. I nodded and quickly rushed to get the tulips that he asked for.

As I placed the bunch into a plastic sleeve and tied a ribbon to secure it around the flowers, I felt his eyes follow me. Was I doing something wrong? Was he a mystery shopper that my parents hired to test me? My hands were trembling as I handed the bouquet to him.

"Perfect, thank you," he sounded sincere but he expression didn't betray his cold persona, "By the way, a friend of mine said that he left something here, but he wouldn't tell me what it was and he's too embarrassed to come down to get it. Would you please call him and ask?"

I took the slip of paper that he handed me.

"Also, my friend is an idiot and I apologise in advance for all the stupid things he's going to put your through," he gives me another slip of paper, "Here's my number too, in case he does anything that warrants me hitting him over the head for."

 

* * *

 

 

"Really, Maes?" I said as soon as the dial tone stopped ringing.

"G-G-G-Gracia, hi!" I felt my heart race when I heard him say it, but it didn't mean that I was about to let him off the hook.

"Is that all you have to say? You buy a bouquet of flowers every day for a month, then you disappear for a week without saying anything. I thought we were friends. Then, you asked your friend to give me your number, and all I get is "Gracia, hi"?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, you dork. Just so I know, how old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"So you haven't actually missed thirty of your mother's birthdays?"

"Actually, I haven't even missed one. She loves the flowers though."

"How did you even manage to come to the store thirty mornings in a row? Don't you have a job?" I immediately winced in response to the words that left my mouth. I wouldn't have held anything against him if he had been out of a job. I tried to stay calm as I waited for him to react to that.

"I do," if he took offense to my accusation, he didn't show it, "I'm a police officer. I've been switching my day shifts with night shifts for the entire month. I didn't come back for a week because I was too exhausted from being awake both mornings and nights."

"Oh my God..."

"And then, when I finally recovered from it, I lost my nerve to come back."

"Your friend was right, you are an idiot."

"Hopefully, an idiot that you'd go out with?"

I had forgotten the last time I laughed so heartily, "Is Sunday evening alright with you?"

"Yes, Sunday is good. Should I bring you flowers?"

"Please don't."

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading till the end. I hope that you liked it!
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this, but if I do, the next chapter will be posted soon.


End file.
